Things were changing on an almost daily basis. Worsening fatigue led to less activity and more sleep. His appetite was dwindling away as his pains continued to grow. He told us he wanted to go to where he came from. Back to his ancestral homelands. He wanted to revisit where he had grown up. He wanted to see his extended family again. His window of opportunity was closing. If he didn’t go soon he would not be able to. The clock continued to tick away. Time was running out.

No-one knew how the trip up North would go but he was so keen to try. One last road-trip with all of his children. It would be the first time his youngest had ever been away from home. He wanted to introduce his new baby to the rest of the family. To show her where he came from. She probably wouldn’t remember much as she was too young, but everyone else would. “That photo was taken when Dad took you home for the first time.”

We wished him luck as he gathered himself and left the hospice for the weekend.